Kuala Lumpur Academy of Polo’s CRI and Managing Director, Peter Ibrahim Abisheganaden, is a man of many hats.  In addition to running KL Academy of Polo, he also manages Zack’s Tack.  He was recently invited onto the coaching panel of the Malaysian Equine Council.  And coached a showjumping update for about 40 MEM instructors.  Here is what he has written in his PBITG.com blog:

Late last year, the CEO of the Malaysian Equine Council (or Majlis Ekuin Malaysia – MEM), Dato’ Malek Jeremiah, invited me to join their coaching panel.  I pondered over it for quite a while before accepting the position.  As I said in my response, ‘I have always taken the view that armchair critics do not count for much.  I must, therefore, step up and make a change, or be discounted as just another voice.  With that in mind, I have decided I will accept the position on the coaching panel, for the year 2022.  I hope to effect some changes in the quality of coaching, and to the equine industry in Malaysia.’

The panel consists of the most senior coaches in Malaysia:  Husref Jeremiah, Ms Wan Ming Ong, Johari Lee, and now, myself.

As the newbie, I got to restart updates for the coaches.  Suspended since MCO, the MEM wanted it kickstarted.

My kick.  So, on Monday, the one day of the week that I usually take a day off from coaching, I drove 90 km to the MAF Equestrian Centre in Sendayan, Negeri Sembilan, to coach 40 coaches and observers.

Amongst other disciplines, I consider myself a showjumping specialist. I was lucky enough to train regularly with Rod Brown, the Australian national coach at about every Olympic Games from ’92 to ’12.  Jumping in two Asian Games and I don’t know how many World Cups, winning 12 South East Asian championships, and being a L3 Course Designer, I do have an intimate knowledge of the sport.  Getting me to share it is the more difficult task, as I don’t usually have the time for many riders.  You may read that as you wish.

At the Polo Club, I coach polo.  We don’t have any serious jumpers here.  So, to get to coach some coaches, who can actually, hopefully, ride, was actually quite appealing.

The coaches were actually very enthusiastic – it goes to show that some coaches just never get to go out!  It was great to see a lot of old friends again.  There was a happy mood.  We were joined by the big wigs, HRH Syed Amir Putra, chairman of MEM, and En Nelson, director of coaching at the National Sports Institute.

The morning started with riding, at 8:00 and went through till 11 am.  There were four groups, made up of coaches, who didn’t know the horses, and some of the MAFEC riders on their own horses.

Only one group was made to suffer through riding without their pedals.  This was the first group that did exercises over poles on the ground.  We talked about:

• Leg Position
• The Secret to Life – inside leg to outside hand.
• Counting Strides

The second group rode a grid of four fences.   We worked on

• 5 phases of jumping
  • The approach
  • Take Off
  • Flight
  • Landing
  • Departure
• Position over fences
• Crest releases
  • short release
  • long release
• Building grids and distances for Training at home

The third group had some fun with riding difference strides over a related line of oxers.  This allowed me to elaborate about:

• Pace and speed
• Impulsion
• Half Halts
• Spots
• Counting strides
• Doing the line in different number of strides

The final group rode the straight line of oxers and had a bending line of of vertical to oxer.  They worked on

• Spots
• Counting Strides
• Taking out strides
• Angling fences

We even got everyone into the arena to walk the lines and compare it to the measuring tape.

MAFEC was a great venue.  The footing was excellent, and everyone was very comfortable with the grandstand at the top end of their huge 70 x 30 m indoor arena.

I was wired up, so everyone could hear me in the grandstand.  I taught and talked for about 3 hours straight – the most jumping I have taught in over two years.  I actually had a lot of fun.  And I hope that all the participants did to.

Thanks to Wan Ming Ong for her photos of this clinic.